


keeping up appearances

by jeserai



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:14:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22147741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeserai/pseuds/jeserai
Summary: "The cheerleading captain always goes to prom with the football captain. And they always get crowned prom king and queen. It's gone on longer than I can remember. And this year, well...based on the way you and Adora were acting…"
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 429





	keeping up appearances

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dear_universe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dear_universe/gifts).



> for the [shera winter gift exchange](https://sherawintergiftexchange.tumblr.com/) over on tumblr !! many thanks to ari for putting up with me whining about this and reassuring me that it is, in fact, well written  
> i hope you like it bunny !

"Watch out!"

Catra flinches and whips around at the loud call that comes from the football field. Someone's just kicked a ball and Catra finds herself frozen in place as it hurtles towards her, and—

Someone crashes into her, dragging her down with them. Though they've shielded her head with their hands, Catra's breath is still stolen from her with a grunt as she hits the ground hard. And then she looks up, and whatever air she'd managed to gain back leaves her again as she sees clear blue eyes and a gentle smile that belong to a familiar blonde. Adora. Of  _ course  _ it's her.

"Sorry, princess," Adora says. She's still smiling, though there is an edge of sheepishness in it that only pisses Catra off even more. "Kyle's got a good leg, but he hasn't quite managed how to control it, and—"

"Would you get  _ off  _ of me already?" Catra interrupts. She can practically already see Adora's wounded puppy pout and she shoves at Adora's shoulders until she rolls away. When Adora stands, she offers her hand out, and Catra pointedly ignores it as she stands on her own and dusts her cheer skirt off.

As Adora passes by without another glance, Catra watches with a scowl as two of her teammates come running up to her, likely congratulating her for her save.

God, she hates the football team.

"Ouch, darling, that was so  _ harsh _ ."

Catra's scowl only deepens as DT drapes their arm around her shoulder, and she easily shrugs them off without hesitating. "Shut up. Can we go home now? I've had a long day."

"I don't know, you looked pretty comfortable in Adora's arms for a second there, and who wouldn't want—" DT cuts themself off as they squint down at Catra, a frown slipping across their lips as they observe her. "What's wrong, kitten?"

" _ Don't  _ call me that. Let's just go."

" _ You're _ no fun today. And so mean to Adora too...you're really going to break tradition, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ah...I keep forgetting you don't care much about school spirit. Well..." DT steers Catra towards their car, taking their sweet time now that they know they've got Catra's attention. "The cheerleading captain  _ always  _ goes to prom with the football captain. And they always get crowned prom king and queen. It's gone on longer than I can remember. And this year, well...based on the way you and Adora were acting…"

"Why should I care about a stupid tradition?"

"Oh, I figured you wouldn't. Be up to the challenge, I mean. Wonder who Adora's going to go with...everyone loves her, don't you think?"

"Back up, what do you mean, I'm not up to the challenge?"

"Why, ki—Catra, getting Adora to go to prom with you!" Like always, DT opens the car door for her, and Catra slams it way harder than she has to to get her point across.

Once DT is seated, Catra glances at them sidelong, muttering, "I am  _ not  _ going to prom with her."

"Pity," DT sighs, "you two would've looked so gorgeous together."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, you know." But—

They  _ would  _ look good together, and while Catra couldn't care less about some dumb school tradition, the prom crown…

"Oh, I  _ like  _ that smile. Whatever are you planning now, darling?"

Catra wipes the smile from her lips and turns to glare out the window as if that will wipe the smug smirk from DT's lips. After months of time spent with them, she knows that it won't. "Just drive."

Today is Thursday, so Adora will be sitting with the rest of the football team for lunch. Back when they were still close, Catra used to hate that Adora was popular enough to sit with a different group every day. The fencing team on Mondays, the student council on Tuesdays, her princess pals on Wednesdays, the football team on Thursdays, and Fridays...well. Friday was  _ their  _ day up until the middle of sophomore year. Adora's seat had been left empty until the beginning of junior year, and now DT fills the spot across from Catra so easily that it only hurts a  _ little  _ to look up and see Adora sitting by herself, surrounded by textbooks as she studies.

But today isn't Friday. Today is Thursday, and Catra marches up to the football team's table halfway through lunch, cocking a hip and crossing her arms as she waits for them to notice her. One of the freshmen chokes on his drink as he sees her, and Catra bites the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning.

"Kyle, dude, you gotta—" And as Adora glances over, her smile freezes as she sees Catra standing there.

Only now does Catra let her own grin slip loose, and she waves at Adora, her heart pounding in her chest as she says, " _ Hey _ , Adora."

"Catra...what are you doing here?"

"Oh, don't be like that, can't I say hi to an old friend?" God, DT is rubbing off on her.

Adora still looks confused—and rightfully so—and Catra jerks her head at the guy sitting next to her. "Move."

Immediately, the whole row scoots down, and if any of them notice that poor Kyle gets pushed off the bench, none of them care. They're all watching, wide-eyed, as Catra slips into the spot next to Adora, and more than one wolf-whistle starts up as Catra leans her head on Adora's shoulder.

(She stays like that until the end of lunch.)

As the bell rings, Adora catches Catra's hand under the table and squeezes once. For a moment Catra is surprised that Adora remembered their childhood code, but...it's Adora. She squeezes twice back, and Adora breathes out a sigh of relief.

And when the last of the football team has left, Catra pulls herself away from Adora, cracking her neck as she waits for Adora to speak.

"Catra...what are you doing?"

She sounds...tired.

Catra purses her lips and looks at Adora, really  _ looks _ , for the first time in what feels like years. She looks...good. She's ditched her age old ponytail for a messy bun, and despite the fresh bruise reddening her cheek, she looks. Really, really good.

"What happened here?" Catra reaches out to touch the bruise, and Adora catches her wrist easily.

"Catra, please. I'm really not in the mood—"

" _ Okay.  _ Fine, god." And before she can lose her nerve, Catra blurts out, "I need you to date me."

As Adora opens her mouth to reply, the warning bell rings, and she shakes her head before standing up. “We can talk after your practice ends. I’ll pick you up.”

“Don’t you have practice too?”

“I cancelled it, a lot of the juniors have a big calculus test coming up. I try to be fair about that stuff if I can.” And that’s... _ nice. _ It’s so much like Adora that an unwilling smile tugs at the corners of Catra’s lips. Adora mirrors it, hesitant and genuine, and quietly, she says, “I’ll see you after practice, then?”

“Yeah. See you after practice.”

(They’re both late to class, but Catra can’t bring herself to mind. Not one bit.)

Catra is in the middle of leading stretches when she notices Adora.

The football captain is sitting in the bleachers, and though she has her laptop out, she’s paying attention to Catra’s girls. Some of the underclassmen are smiling and giggling, their attention fixed on Adora, and Catra rolls her eyes as she stands. “So what I’m hearing is that you all  _ want  _ to run more laps? Okay, ten laps, last man up.”

The smiles and giggles immediately stop, and though a few of the girls cast Catra dirty looks, everyone obediently lines up in groups of six. One of the freshmen raises her hand, and when Catra arches a brow at her, she quietly asks, “Isn’t that...a bit much?”

“If you can’t handle one person in the bleachers watching you practice without falling all over yourselves, do you _really_ think you’ll be able to perform in front of the whole school? I know I definitely wouldn’t want to be a flyer for _you_ with that level of concentration. So _no,_ it is not too much. If you think it is, you can leave. The rest of you, start your laps.”

Predictably, everyone stays, and Catra falls into line without a backwards glance Adora’s way. And with Catra keeping a careful eye on the girls, the rest of practice goes off without a hitch. And if she dismisses them early with claims about making up for her behavior, well. No one has to know that she’s really just excited (or nervous?) to talk to Adora again.

Said girl comes bounding down the bleachers, leaning against the fence as Catra’s girls file off the field. She’s got that stupidly cocky grin on her lips as the last of the girls leave, and Catra pulls out her phone so she doesn’t have to watch Adora watching her as she approaches.

“Better look where you’re going if you don’t want a repeat of last time,” Adora calls out, and the clear mirth in her voice is enough to make Catra grin. Her anxiousness suddenly fades in the light of Adora’s familiar laughter, and as she follows Adora to her car, Catra can almost pretend that this is normal, that every day Adora picks her up and takes her home. That they never stopped talking at all.

And then they get to the car, and—”You kept that old thing?” Catra reaches out to touch the old, beat up plush toy that she vaguely remembers giving Adora when they were ten. It’s hanging from the rear-view mirror now, and it swings gently between them when she lets it go.

“Of course. You gave it to me.”

It’s so like Adora that Catra can’t even bring herself to retort. And as they drive down the familiar roads in silence, Catra realizes that this is...nice. Driving home with DT is often filled with their gossip, and fighting over whose playlist should be played, and good-natured arguments that end in spontaneous trips to get ice cream or McDonald’s or whatever else they’re craving.

But with Adora, the ride is quiet. Unlike Catra, Adora’s never been the type to study with music, and she guesses it’s the same when she drives as well. They would probably talk, if Adora hadn’t hurt her the way she did, but—

“You can turn on the radio if you want, Catra. I know you need your music.”

“And I know you need to focus, Adora. I’ll be fine without it. And where are we going anyway?”

“Ella’s.” Though Adora’s reply is short, she’s smiling, and Catra finds herself lost in all of the childhood memories too. They’d spent countless afternoons at the diner, tried out the whole menu so many times before. Catra still remembers their old orders: chicken tenders and french fries for herself, popcorn shrimp and veggies for Adora, a giant smoothie and flavored iced tea to share, and for dessert, a giant molten lava cake that they always happily split in two.

“I haven’t been there in ages…”

“I haven’t either. Or, I go to visit, but...I haven’t eaten there since…” Adora trails off, and as they come to a red light, she sighs. “It just isn’t the same without you, I guess.”

“Oh.”

Adora hums in agreement and Catra finds her gaze again drawn to the bruise marring her side profile. Before she can ask about it, Adora says in a much brighter tone, “They’ll be glad to see you! Ella always asks about you, and I never really know what to say.”

Again, Catra is left breathless.

“Adora!” Netossa calls out as they enter. The smile freezes on her face as she notices Catra standing half-hidden behind Adora, and with one brow raised, she asks, “And who is  _ this  _ stranger you’ve brought with you?”

“Oh, be nice,” Adora laughs, “where’s Ella?”

“Where else would she be? You go say hi to her while I talk to this one.”

Adora glances back at Catra, and while she does look concerned, she obediently makes her way into the kitchen in the back of the diner. Only after the door closes behind her does Netossa turn back to Catra, her hands on her hips as she stares for a long few moments. “Well? What are you doing here?”

“Nothing, I just needed to talk to Adora, and—”

“Why now?”

“God, what does it matter? Am I not allowed to talk to her?”

In a very quiet,  _ very  _ strained voice, Netossa says, “You  _ hurt  _ that girl when you left her. She spent months crying over you, and me and my wife spent even longer picking up the pieces of the mess  _ you  _ made of her heart. Do  _ not  _ hurt her again, Adora is the last person in the world that deserves that.”

Stunned to silence, Catra nods, her gaze wandering to Adora as she comes out of the kitchen with Ella at her side. She seems only a bit surprised to see Catra there, but she smiles warm and soft, and Catra mirrors it even if it comes out forced. Adora beckons and Catra follows her to their usual booth in the very back of the diner; even just sitting in their usual spots brings back a rush of nostalgia that makes Catra’s heart ache.

“God, it’s been...so long.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Adora props her head up with her fist, staring at Catra like she’s a puzzle she can’t quite figure out. Catra feels her cheeks begin to burn with the intensity of Adora’s gaze, and she pulls a menu closer to herself, ducking her head to hopefully hide her blush as she looks at the menu without seeing it.

Adora laughs a little under her breath, nudging Catra’s foot with her own to get her attention. “Do you remember our tenth birthday dinner?"

"How could I forget that? You got whipped cream all over me!"

"You had fun though, didn't you?" Adora's got a smug smirk on her lips, and she leans back, crossing her arms as she stares Catra down.

"Until your germs got me sick the next day," Catra grumbles. But there's a grin tugging up the corners of her lips as she says it, and she finds herself mirroring Adora's posture without even thinking.

"Hey, you got better, it's fine."

Catra scoffs and shakes her head, twirling a curl around her finger as she looks, really  _ looks  _ at Adora. "It really has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I…" Adora cuts herself off as Netossa comes over holding two giant milkshake, one cookie dough and the other strawberry. Their favorites.

"Enjoy, you two."

"Thanks, we will!" And after giving Netossa a bright smile, Adora begins to carefully scoop out the chunks of fruit from the top of her milkshake. She hasn't changed at all, Catra realizes: the girl sitting in front of her now is the ten year old girl that sneezed whipped cream in her face, and the seven year old girl that made up a silent code to keep them both grounded. She is the fourteen year old girl that snuck into Catra’s room to hold her as she cried herself to sleep, and the twelve year old girl that pinky promised Catra that she’d never let anything bad happen to her.

Catra can’t believe that she let herself believe Adora for as long as she did.

“You’re not eating?” Adora asks, still focused on her milkshake. The top of it is now devoid of fruit, and Catra watches quietly as she starts on the mountain of whipped cream, suddenly exhausted.

“Why are you...being so  _ nice  _ to me?”

At that, Adora finally looks up, confusion written all over her face. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I hurt you.”

“You were hurting too,” Adora points out, “and that doesn’t excuse anything, but...I wanted to help you, I didn’t want to drive you away if I was one of the few good things you had. Even though I guess I kind of ended up doing that anyway, didn’t I?”

And. That should make Catra feel better, she  _ knows  _ it should, but all it does is make her even angrier. “You never  _ helped  _ me, Adora, not in any way that mattered. All you did was make it worse!”

“We were  _ kids!  _ I didn’t know what I was doing any more than you did! All I knew was that you didn’t look as sad when we were together, and that you flinched less when you were at my house, and that I knew I wanted to keep you smiling. I would’ve done  _ anything  _ to keep you safe, Catra.”

“Yeah, well. I’ve learned to protect myself, so you can stop feeling guilty. I don’t need you anymore, I never did.” And sure, there are still cracks in her heart, but she’s learning how to force herself to stop jumping every time someone tries to touch her, and she knows how to swallow all of the paranoia and rage back down. She doesn’t feel quite so alone anymore either, and maybe they’re not perfect either, but DT helps, even if they don’t know it. Most times, Catra gets the feeling that they do.

“Why are we here then? Why did you say that you  _ need  _ to date me?”

Catra winces and shakes her head. “Forget it, it was stupid—”

“Tell me.” There is an unspoken plea in Adora’s voice, and that tiny, foolish part of Catra has always bent to her every will and whim, so—

“Prom. It’s tradition for the cheer captain and the football captain to go together. I told you it’s stupid.”

“Tradition,” Adora snorts, “I never pegged you for one to follow tradition, especially if it’s as stupid as you supposedly think.”

“Yeah, well. I want the prom crown, that’s all.” That’s the only reason, Catra reminds herself, it’s not because she misses Adora or anything stupid like that.

As if reading her thoughts, Adora leans forward again, staring at her hard. “And why pick me out of everyone?”

“Told you, tradition. Do you want to do this or not?”

And she’s more than expecting Adora to say no, or maybe even just get up and leave, but—”Fine. I’ll do it. I guess that makes us girlfriends then.”

“Just until prom,” Catra adds, but the sudden rush of giddiness at the thought makes her have to bite the inside of her cheek hard to keep from grinning. She focuses her attention on her milkshake, and tries to ignore the way Adora is smiling, bright and genuine and so very smug all at once.

They finish their drinks in relative silence and as Adora gets up to pay, she tosses Catra her keys and tells her to warm up the car. If they were anywhere else, Catra would argue back, but she can still hear Netossa’s words echoing through her head, and she can practically  _ see  _ the disappointed look on Spinerella’s face, so she obediently slips passed Adora to start the car.

Adora slides into the driver’s seat only a few minutes later, pointedly turning on the radio (to Catra’s favorite station, at that) before starting the familiar drive home. A few times, she clears her throat like she’s about to speak, but she always closes her mouth with a tiny shake of her head before she manages to say anything.

On the third try, Adora finally blurts out, “Why don’t you answer my flashlight signals anymore?”

And—oh.  _ Oh.  _ “I don’t...live there anymore. Haven’t for a year.”

“Oh.”

The silence between them has never felt so loud, and Catra nervously plays with the hem of her shirt as she asks, “You still signal?”

Adora looks just as self-conscious as Catra feels, and her cheeks are a faint pink as she says, just as quietly, “Yeah, I...I never stopped.”

“Oh.”

It starts raining during the next game after Catra and Adora talk. They don’t really talk in school, but they don’t ignore each other like they used to either. Now their relationship has bloomed into small smiles when they pass each other in the halls, and sitting together again at lunch when their gazes happen to meet, and a nod when they pass each other at the end of Catra’s practice and the beginning of Adora’s.

People have started to talk about their new relationship, and every day while they stretch, Catra’s girls try to get her to talk about Adora, but as soon as she threatens more laps, they shut up. Unfortunately, Catra knows that Adora’s teammates don’t do the same; but Adora doesn’t seem to mind that much by the way she just laughs and shoves them away from her.

It’s starting to rain now though, and Catra’s never been good with the rain, or the cold. She’s already shivering as she bounces on her toes, trying and failing to convince herself that it’s not as bad as it could be. Like with every game, she’s focused on running through all of their formations and cheers, so she doesn’t notice Adora coming up next to her until she gently nudges her.

“Hey.”

“Holy—what is it?”

“Just know that you’re bad with the cold,” Adora says as she shrugs out of her varsity jacket. She carefully places it around Catra’s shoulders before she can retort, and Adora looks so satisfied when she pulls back that Catra rolls her eyes.

But the jacket is warm, and Catra pulls it around herself more snugly, ignoring the giggles of her girls and the cheers that start up from the football team. Adora looks even more pleased with her work, her dimple winking out as she smiles big, and just because she can’t be outdone, Catra stands on her toes and kisses Adora’s cheek before she can think better of it.

“Go win your stupid game,” she mutters when she pulls back, very pointedly not looking at Adora. All she gets in return is Adora’s good-natured laugh before she jogs back the way she came.

(Catra keeps the jacket around her shoulders for as long as she can, even after the rain stops. And Adora wins the game. And after, as her teammates swarm her, Adora’s gaze remains locked on Catra, standing at the sidelines. Catra doesn’t think she’s ever seen Adora smile quite as big as she does when she sees that Catra is smiling too.)

“ _ So, _ ” DT drawls, and before the words come out of their mouth, Catra  _ knows  _ what they’re going to say. “You still have Adora’s jacket, huh?”

“Shut up. It’s cold out, that’s all.”

DT just laughs and pushes themself off of the wall opposite the locker room. “Of course, kitten, that’s the  _ only  _ reason.” They must decide that teasing her isn’t worth it for once, because they then say, “Come on, let’s go home, I’m absolutely  _ famished. _ ”

“I’m actually...going out. With Adora.”

Catra’s never seen DT look more smug in the two years she’s known them. “Oh  _ really  _ now? What happened to hating her, kitten?”

“I don’t  _ know,  _ okay? And  _ stop  _ calling me that!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll be nice!” Their gaze shifts to something behind Catra, and their smile turns more sharklike than she’s ever seen. “And there she is now.”

And when Catra spins around, she sees that they’re right: Adora, alone and showered and changed, is coming towards them both. She waves and Catra elbows DT in the side before waving back. “Be  _ nice, _ ” she hisses.

Instead of listening to her, DT thrusts their hand out when Adora is close enough. “Adora, right? I’ve heard  _ so  _ much about you from my kitten, though—”

“ _ Okay,  _ that’s enough, we’re leaving now!” Catra bats DT’s hand away from Adora and twines their fingers together, dragging her down the empty hall as fast as she can.

Not to be outdone, DT calls out, “Have fun and come home soon, darling!”

Catra decides in that moment that she might just have to kill DT when she gets back.

Adora seems just as annoyed as Catra feels; she stays silent until they get to her car, and it isn’t until they’ve driven for a block that she says, “Kitten, huh?”

“ _ Ugh, _ ” Catra groans, “they won’t stop calling me kitten because they know how much I hate it.”

“I think it’s kind of cute,” and with a grin thrown her way, “kitten.”

A furious blush stains Catra’s cheeks, and she slumps down even further in her seat, trying. “ _ Drive. _ ”

Adora laughs, light and pretty, and as she obeys, Catra finds herself glad that Adora’s apparent irritation has faded. Somehow, even just the sound of her laughter and the thought of her happiness makes Catra feel just a little bit better too.

“Where to, princess?”

“We can see if there’s anything at the boutique by the library...it shouldn’t be as expensive since prom isn’t for a while.”

“Then that’ll be our first stop, kit—”

Catra practically lunges to turn the radio up enough to drown Adora out before she can finish saying it. Somehow, it doesn’t help.

The boutique is as empty as Catra thought it would be: it is just them and a rather bored looking girl standing behind the register, and Catra turns to Adora after inspecting the rows of dresses for a long few moments.

"What color were you thinking?"

"Oh, I uh...figured you'd take care of that."

And right. Adora's always had the  _ worst  _ fashion sense.

"I think you'd look good in just about anything, but..." Catra holds up the skirt of a black dress, considering. "No, not black."

"Why not?"

"It just doesn't suit you. It'd look good, but we don't want  _ good.  _ When I get my crown, I can't just look  _ good.  _ So you can't either."

Adora snorts as Catra turns back to the dresses, but she doesn't offer any resistance, so Catra keeps moving down the line of dresses. "What about red?"

"Why red?"

"It's your favorite color, and uh...you just look good in red." When Catra glances over, she finds that Adora is looking away,  _ blushing. _

"Red, huh?" The varsity jacket that Catra has safely tucked into her duffle bag had been red. "You'd look good in red too."

Adora gets that smug look on her face again, and before she can speak, Catra picks a random dress off of the rack and thrusts it her way. "Here, go try this on."

"I thought we were wearing red?" She  _ still  _ sounds smug.

" _ Go try it on. _ "

Adora laughs, but obediently makes her way into the first dressing room with the dress Catra blindly chose for her. While she changes, Catra carefully peruses the section of red dresses, and though nothing really jumps out at her, it's only because she knows what she likes, and—

"I don't really like it," Adora grumbles. And—no. The dress...isnt  _ bad,  _ but it isn't all that great either, at least on Adora. It's far too frilly, too  _ much.  _ Adora needs something sleek, something simple. Something like…

"There was something I passed earlier...here it is."

"What about you?" Adora grumbles as she takes it.

"I already know what looks good on me. You're the hard part, Adora. Now go put on the dress."

This time, Adora looks more skeptical, holding out the dress with both brows raised before she trudges back to the dressing room. "If this looks bad,  _ I'll  _ pick the next one."

Catra ignores her, focusing instead on the mannequin on display in the . Across the store is a mannequin on display, clad in a navy blue velvet suit, and—

"Excuse me," Catra calls out to the girl at the register. When she glances up from her phone, Catra asks, "Do you have this in red?"

As the girl heaves a sigh and gets up, Adora steps out of the dressing room, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm picking—"

"No, we're done here. That girl is getting your outfit."

"What outfit?"

"What the mannequin is wearing, but in red. I saw something before that'll be  _ perfect  _ for it, I just have to find it again."

"But—"

"Here's the suit," the girl from the register interrupts. "I hope it's the right size."

" _ Go, _ " Catra says before Adora protests. With a roll of her eyes and a long sigh, Adora trudges back to the dressing room, and Catra goes back to the first row of dresses to find the one that had first caught her eye.

Her fingers catch it before her eyes do as they meet soft velvet, and as Catra pulls the dress off the rack, she just  _ knows  _ that this is the one.

Quickly, Catra heads to the dressing room next to Adora, slipping out of her clothes and into the dress. It somehow looks even better on her than it did when she held it up: a simple spaghetti strap with a deep v-neck. It is long and red and it hugs her body in all the right places but for the killer slit on the right side of the dress. 

It's perfect.

"Catra?" Adora calls out then.

"I'm in the room next to you, come in."

"In—are you sure?"

"I'm dressed, you dork. Come on, I need your opinion."

She can hear Adora grumbling as she enters her dressing room, but as Adora turns around and sees her, her eyes go wide and a flush comes back to her cheeks again.

And it's all types of romantic and all types of cliche, but the only thing that Adora manages to say is a quiet, "You look..."

She's still staring, and suddenly Catra feels self-conscious, stepping back in a futile attempt to widen the distance between Adora's honest, open gaze.

"You...you like it, then?"

Adora's gaze slowly,  _ slowly  _ crawls up the length of the dress, and she takes a step forward to close the distance between them again. "Catra, you look  _ breathtaking. _ "

Catra's heart skips a beat and then two at the awed sincerity in Adora's voice. Hesitantly, Adora reaches out, cupping Catra's cheek with her hand, and Catra realizes with a shock that Adora could kiss her right now if she wanted. And more than that, she  _ wants  _ Adora to kiss her.

But Adora just takes a shaky breath and tucks a lock of hair behind Catra's ear before pulling away.

"Do you like the suit?"

And honestly, Catra had almost forgotten, but—

Her eyes follow the dip of the delicate necklace Adora is wearing to the velvet blazer; it also has a deep v-neck and Catra frowns before reaching out to unbutton it, and. Adora squeaks in surprise but Catra ignores her because she is wearing a silk bralette beneath and below that is  _ abs. _

"This  _ needs  _ to stay open."

"But—" Adora crosses her arms, blushing furiously. And...she always  _ has  _ been pretty self-conscious about her body.

"I think it'll look better open, but if you're more comfortable with it staying closed, fine." Not much of Adora's skin is showing anyway; the pants are high waisted, and if she keeps even just the bottom button done, it should hide everything but the subtle curves of her chest. It'll look good.  _ They'll  _ look good.

"You know, we look good together." Adora gently turns Catra towards the mirror, standing beside her, and—yeah. They look like an actual couple.

Catra kind of likes it.

  
  
  
  


DT is just finishing straightening the last of Catra's hair when the doorbell rings. "Is that your Adora?"

Catra glances at the clock—8:30 on the dot—and nods. "Perfectly on time, that'll be her. Can you...?"

"Who says I'm ready?" DT huffs, but they obediently head downstairs to open the door for Adora as Catra finishes getting ready. All that's really left is her makeup—because as much as she loves them, there is  _ no  _ way she's ever letting DT get a mascara wand anywhere near her face again.

From her room, Catra can very faintly hear DT and Adora laughing, and the thought of them becoming  _ friends  _ is what makes her really hurry. Because it'd been bad enough with DT trying to get under Adora's skin, but with all Adora knows about Catra's childhood and what DT knows about her now? The very thought is enough to make Catra shudder as she slips on her shoes.

After one last glance in the mirror, Catra heads to the top of the stairs, her heart in her throat as she descends. Adora is in the middle of telling DT something, but as she spots Catra, her eyes go wide and she stops and stares.

There is endearment on DT's face and Adora looks nothing short of awestruck at the sight of her, and Catra's never felt more on display in her life.

It feels kind of nice, though.

"Well?" she asks, trying for nonchalant and failing miserably, "you sure do love to stare, you know." 

Adora offers Catra her hand, smiling wide when Catra takes it without protest. Her hand is calloused and warm and Catra has held it so,  _ so  _ many times before in her life, but she still cannot get used to how easy this feels again. "You look beautiful," Adora finally breathes out.

"Stunning, kitten," DT adds. They come close enough to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, and though they don't say it, Catra knows how happy they are for her by the softness written all over their face.

"Thank you for everything," she whispers, and that, that is just for them.

DT nods, and then turns back to Adora, one brow raised. "You remember what I told you, right?"

Adora flushes pink but nods quickly, and before Catra can ask, DT steps back, grinning again. "Have fun then, you two!"

"You're not coming with?"

"No, I'll give you two lovebirds your privacy, you can thank me later. Now shoo, I need to finish getting ready."

After hugging DT one last time, Catra takes Adora's hand and follows her outside and to the car. They are both unusually silent; Catra can tell how nervous Adora is by the way her hands tremble on the steering wheel, and she covers one of Adora's hands with her own even though her own heart thuds fast in her chest.

"You don't have to be nervous, it's just me."

Adora huffs out a laugh, but she turns her hand over to lace their fingers together, her thumb rubbing against Catra's in gentle, idle circles. "That's  _ why  _ I'm nervous."

"Why?"

"These past eight months have been...amazing. I guess I just don't want that to end."

And even though she feels the same, Catra can't bring herself to say so. The car ride remains silent, and their hands remain linked.

By the time they get to the school, people are already beginning to dance, but before Adora can ask Catra to dance, some of her princess pals eagerly wave her over.

"Do you mind if I...?"

"No, go ahead." And sure, maybe Catra _ does _ mind, just a bit, but there is Entrapta by the snack table, and Scorpia is by her side, so  _ no,  _ she does not mind one bit that Adora immediately leaves her for her other friends. 

And now Scorpia is waving her over. Suddenly annoyed, Catra pretends she hasn't seen them and makes her way to an empty table, pulling out her phone and idly scrolling through it as she waits for Adora to come back.

Strangely, she doesn't feel as excited as she thought she would, especially with the crown so close, and as much as she hates to admit it, she agrees with Adora.

Because spending so much time with Adora again has been  _ fun,  _ especially once the fencing season ended. Things aren't like they used to be, but they are good now, and to think that this is the last night, well...

Catra wants to make the most of it. Maybe that's why she's so upset. Certainly not because—

Someone holds out a hand, and as Catra looks up, her heart stutters hard at the sight of Adora standing there, looking so serious for once. "Dance with me," she says, and it should be a question, but they both know what the answer will be. Catra takes Adora's hand, lets herself be pulled up, lets Adora lead her to the middle of the floor.

There isn't much room, not really, but the song is slow enough that Catra tucks her face into Adora's neck and breathes her in as Adora fits both arms around her waist, keeping her close. It feels more than enough to sway like this, to feel the warmth of Adora's hands and know that at least for tonight—

Before she can even let that thought play out, Catra pulls back just enough to look Adora in the eye as she blurts out, "You know, I don't even care if we get the stupid crown."

"Why?" And though she's got a perplexed little smile flirting with her lips, Adora still sounds so faithfully earnest that Catra flusters again, and she tucks her face back into her neck instead of answering.

She feels more than hears Adora's huff of laughter, and just when Catra thinks that Adora has dropped it, she steps back, holding Catra at arms length as she stares at her again. And then, very quietly, she says, "Hey, Catra?"

"Yeah?"

Before Adora even opens her mouth to speak, Catra  _ knows  _ that whatever she says next is going to  _ big,  _ is going to be  _ important.  _ And—"Will you be my girlfriend? But like...for real, this time."

Catra loses all the air in her lungs, and though Adora deserves an honest answer, it is all she can do to nod around the sudden lump in her throat. She feels moments away from tears, Adora swimming in her vision, but she's never been happier, and Adora looks the same.

Quieter now, and as shy as Catra's ever seen her, Adora again asks, "Hey, Catra?"

"Yeah?" And if her voice breaks on the word as a tear slips from her eye, well, no one has to know.

Adora gently cups Catra's cheek with her hand, very carefully wiping the tear away with her thumb. Even once it's gone, Adora's hand remains on Catra's cheek, and her voice is barely a whisper now. "Can I kiss you?"

Instead of answering, Catra leans up and kisses the trembling smile from Adora's lips.

And—yeah. This is much better than any crown could ever be.


End file.
